Draft apparatus.



W. C. F. ZIMMERMAN.

DRAFT APPARATUS.

APPLlCATlON FILED FEB. i9. 1914.

1 ,279,21 1. Patented Se t. 17, 1918.

Suva 144201 g/ ffozum e, I

TED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. E. ZIMMERMAN, or LONE TREE, IOWA, ASSIGNOR T0 ZIMMEBMAN sTEEL00., or LONE TREE,- IOWA.

DRAFT APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 19, 1914. Serial No. 819,693.

To 07E whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM C. F. ZIM- MERMAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Lone Tree, in the county of J ohnson and btate ofIowa, have invented certaln new and useful Improvements in DraftApparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact descrlptlon of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in team hitches of the generaltype set forth in detail in my Patent No. 1,202,144, granted Oct. 24,1916.

The object of the invention is to provide a safe and reliable means ofhitching'to stump pullers, farm implements, contractors tools, and otherarticles subjected to draft, and subsidiary to this object are thefurther obj ects of providing a light and strong hitch which issubstantially incapable of being broken.

With these and other objects in view as will in part hereinafter becomeapparent and in part be stated, the invention comprises certain novelconstructions, combinations and arrangements of parts as hereinafterspecified and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing,

Figure 1 is a plan View of a hitch embodying the features of the presentinvention.

Fig. 2 is an edge view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged, detail view, partly in vertical section andpartly in elevation, of the center hitch, a fragment of the cable beingillustrated.

ig. 4 is a detail view of the same partly in horizontal section andpartly in plan.

Fig. 4 is a detail fragmentary section taken on the plane indicated byline 44 of Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawings by numerals 1, 1 indicate the draft-receivingmembers which are spaced apart by a spacing bar 2, and which extendforwardly from the spacing bar in the form of hooks to receive theswingle tree rings 3 or other apparatus to which the draft animals areto be hitched. Extending rearwardly from the members 1 and preferablyformed as a part thereof are sleeves 4, 4, which converge rearwardly andeach of which is formed with a longitudinal bore flaring forwardly. Acable 5 has its end portions extending into the bores of of withstandingany amount of strain to which the apparatus is liable to be subjectedduring any use for which it is adapted.

The cable 5 is of a sufiicient length for forming a loop outstandingrearwardly from.

the sleeves 4 a distance suflicient for having the arms of the loopdirected substantially Patented Sept. 17, 1918.

in alinement with the axes of the bores of mediate hitch or connectingmember consisting of a clamping or engaging means for the cable and anengaging means for the device to be drawn, as, for instance, as seen inFig. 1, the bight 5 of cable 5 extends through an arcuate socket orpassageway formed in a casting or block 6, said block being internallyhollow and partially filled by a filler block7 shaped and arranged toform the arcuate passage way for accommodating the portion 5 of cable 5,said portion being firmly held by babbitt 7 or other appropriatematerial which is poured into the socket of casting 6 after the partsare assembled, and the block 7 being retained in position by atransverse rivet 8. The block 6 converges rearwardly to a restricted,transverselv circular tubular portion 6, and through the bore of thetubular portion 6 extends the cylindrical shank 9 of a hook 10. Hook 10is adapted to engage the clevis of an implement or other engaged portionof a tool or instrument, or the cable surrounding the stump to bepulled. To avoid accidental release of the part engaged by hook 10, thethroat of the hook is closed by a spring keeper 11 carried by the freeend of the hook. The inner end portion of the shank 9 extends through awasher 12 and is swaged to form a rivet head 13 engaging the said Washerresting in an annular seat formed in the material of the block 7, thewasher having been applied and the head 13 formed after the assemblageof the part and before the filler 7 was introduced. Hook 10 is easilyloosened from filler 7 by simply being turned after the filler has setso that hook 10 is free for adjustment to any position adapted forengaging the article to be drawn.

The block 7 has its inner edge formed with a longitudinal, approximatelysemi-circular groove, as clearly indicated in Figs. 3 and P, and thecable portion 5" is disposed in said groove before the block isintroduced into casting 6, and block 7 is introduced into the socket ofcasting 6 sufliciently for causing the lateral portions of the block toclamp the cable'against adjacent lateral'portions of the Walls ofcasting 6. The arcuate form of the groove in the edge of block 7provides a smooth retaining surface for the cable so that the drafttransmitted from the cable to the block 7 and thence to the casting 6and its connected parts is relieved from any liability of injuring thecable incident toengagement of sharp corners by said cable.

The operation of the structure is obvious and is capable of numerousvariations. The preferable operation consists in applying the hook 10 tothe article to be drawn and hitching the draft animal or animals to therings 3 or any appropriate substitute therefor. The stress of the draftis transmitted through the rings 3, members 1, sleeves 4,

and cable 5 to the casting 6, hook 10, and

article to be drawn.

lVhat I claim is An intermediate-hitch member comprising a block havingon one end an engaging means, and provided With an outwardly flaringsocket in its opposite end adapted to receive the bight of a draftcable, a filler block fitting in the socket and'partly filling the sameand provided in its inner edge With WILLIAM- G. F. ZIMMERMAN.

Witnesses 1 HENRY L. ZIMMERMAN, HARL V. MoCnUsKnY.

signature copies: otthia patent may be obtained for five cents each,-byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents; Washington, D. 0.

